52 BIRDS OF PREY 



big pile of solid gravel in their enclosure that its interior be- 

 came a perfect cavern. 



In the land of plains and prairie-" dogs," the Burrowing 

 Owl is a frequent corollary to a "dog" town, sitting on the 

 highest point of a burrow mound, or, if alarmed, taking short 

 flights to the suburbs. Between bird and rodent there ap- 

 pears to exist a modus vivendi, which is good so long as the 

 bird does not come within reach of the legitimate owner of 

 the burrow. As already mentioned (vol. I, p. 205), when the 

 two are intimately mixed, the prairie-" dog " quickly kills the 

 Burrowing Owl. It seems practically certain that the bird 

 inhabits only the mouth of the prairie-" dog's" burrow, or 

 burrows that have been abandoned. 



This owl is far too small to kill even a half -grown "dog"; 

 besides which, its favorite diet is grasshoppers, locusts, other 

 insects, lizards and scorpions. It is to be noticed that, in 

 32 stomachs examined in Washington, one really did contain 

 a portion of a prairie-" dog," and 2 contained 1 mouse each, 

 but 33 contained insects only, some of them showing from 49 

 to 60 each of locusts and grasshoppers. 



The color of a Burrowing Owl is a grayish mixture, dark- 

 est on the back, and lighter below, and the legs are long and 

 naked, like those of a sharp-shinned hawk. In captivity our 

 specimens dug extensive burrows for themselves, in doing 

 which they threw out gravel and earth with astonishing force. 

 They are savage little wretches, and murder each other at a 

 shocking rate. The males fight savagely, and the western 

 species will not live peacefully with that of Florida. 



